Thursday, January 31, 2019

Architectural Features - door gods


Golden Dragons



Door gods are important elements of Taiwan’s temple iconography. But whereas most of Taiwan’s temples have deities as door gods, Yanshui Wu Temple has golden dragons. There is a popular saying that goes: “When two dragons intertwine, harmony will prevail between yin and yang, and the weather will smile benignly on man.”  Thus, the golden dragon door gods symbolize the bringing of good weather for the people to enjoy rich harvests and the country to be peaceful and orderly.

One of the golden dragons is a heaven dragon, and the other an earth dragon. The heaven dragon, representing yang, looks up to the sky, while the earth dragon, representing yin, looks down at the ground.

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© Yanshui Wu Temple and Beehive Fireworks Festival
Maira Gall